RABAT, Morocco — Morocco's King Mohammed VI pardoned Hajar Raissouni, a journalist convicted on charges of having an abortion and nonmarital sex, on Oct. 16. Raissouni denied the charges against her and considered them to be “false accusations.” She affirmed that there was no abortion and never met the doctor who accused her.
Commenting on the second charge, Raissouni’s lawyer Saad Sahli said, “She got married by reciting the Fatiha, while waiting for the completion of the marriage legal process.” He added that the formalization procedures were delayed given that her fiance Rifaat al-Amin, a human rights activist, is Sudanese.